


The Once And Future Prat

by SiredToFandoms



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Albion, Camelot, Ealdor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-18
Updated: 2020-01-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:53:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22308229
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SiredToFandoms/pseuds/SiredToFandoms
Summary: “When Albion’s need is greatest... Arthur will rise again.”
Kudos: 1





	The Once And Future Prat

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don’t own Merlin or any of it’s wonderful characters
> 
> Prompt: Merlin being the only thing left of Albion

He watches as tourists flitter in and out, walking around the last standing remnants of Albion. He'd seen everything fall- Camelot, Avalon, Ealdor. It was all gone, to now form the United Kingdom. As a speeding truck raced past, Merlin took a deep inhale and looked over at the place where there was once a castle, that now held factories and houses. Camelot was ridden with pollution, the forests around it cut down and used as firewood, or exam papers for teenagers unwilling to sit them. "We've destroyed it" Merlin said to himself, as he sat on the roof of his three storey house. He remembers his life from over a thousand years ago, living within Camelot, hunting in the now-destroyed woods with Arthur, drinking from the lake that was then so pure it hardly needed cleaning. He remembers being teased by the knights of the round table in those woods. God, he misses them all. Leon, Gwaine, Lancelot, Elyan, Percival... Arthur. He'd watched all of them perish, one by one. He'll never forget how devastated he was upon his return to Camelot after sending Arthur away in the lake of Avalon, only to find out that Gwaine had also died at Morgana's hand. He didn't understand why he couldn't just let go, he supposed it had something to do with watching everyone he has ever loved die, where he is forced to live on. But that's all about to change. The world is destroyed. He's lost everything. He's lost Camelot, he's lost Gaius, he's lost Arthur. There's nothing left for him. He recalls seeing a play, some few years ago, called Hamilton, and he remembered a quote. Just one quote. He didn't pay attention to the rest of it, it was boring for him, but one quote stuck with him through the entirety of his life:  
Death doesn't discriminate between the sinners and the saint. It takes, and it takes, and it takes. 

He hates Death. Hates them with all his might. Merlin is the most powerful sorcerer in the world, he's lived through thousands of kings, queens, battles, even fought in world wars, and he has seen so many people die. He remembers the fall of Camelot, the supposed peace treaty between George Pendragon and Edward Callahann, until Callahann stabbed young King George straight through the heart mere moments after shaking hands with him. George had only been a few years older than Arthur had been when he died, but Merlin felt the same pain as he watched his master fall to the ground. From there, chaos erupted. The bells that chimed the end of the King's life seemed to be a sort of signal for Callahann's men. Catapults, fire arrows, smoke bombs and other vicious weapons were used in the attempt to destroy the kingdom Arthur had worked so hard to build. It took three days for Camelot's walls to crumble, Merlin's magic not even touching the damage. The castle was left in ruins, burning and smoking for weeks on end. Merlin had stayed for as long as he could; but he had to flee when Calahann's men joined forces with another cruel Kingdom. He remembers being alone in the woods, crying for a multitude of reasons. Watching all of his and Gaius' work burn to nothing, seeing George fall with a giant hole in his chest, being there to see Arthur's kingdom crumble, and the end of the Pendragon name. That's what hurt the most. The Pendragon name died with George, so all that Merlin had left of Arthur was his scarlet cloak, which stayed wrapped securely round his shoulders throughout his stay in the forest. 

And, as he looked over the polluted area that was once Camelot, Merlin smiled. He was once again wrapped in Arthur's cloak. He may have lost all hope in ever rebuilding Avalon or Camelot, he may have lost faith in Arthur ever returning, but the one thing he could believe in was the sharp rocks underneath the ledge he was now sitting on. Shaking his brown hair out of his surprisingly still young face, he stuck a foot off the side of the ledge. "I'm coming, Arthur." Just as he was about to plunge, however, the lake seemed to shimmer. Merlin blinked, thinking it was just the wind. Then there seemed to be something glowing from beneath he surface. Merlin gasped, taking a few steps back from the edge. The glow got brighter and brighter, until Excalibur shot out from beneath its depths.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Merlin FanFic, and I don’t know if I’m going to leave it here or not yet, so let me know what you think :))  
> 18/1/2020


End file.
